EP0680214A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sending of and billing for interactive shows based upon advertising activity
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1995-04-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-04-19
Abstract
Abstract Described is a technique for an interactive television ("ITV") system wherein viewers are allowed to select a desired level of advertisements with which they are provided. The technique comprises transmitting to a interactive services subscriber location a program and a set of advertisements (collectively referred to as a "show"). The set of advertisements is selected based upon an input from a user associated with the interactive services subscriber location. The input comprises an indicator of an amount of advertisements in the set of advertisements. Another feature of the ITV system described is that it allows for adjusting an amount of a bill of a subscriber to interactive television services based upon the amount of advertisements viewed in a show.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald Edgar Blahut
- 👤 Guy Ashley Story
- 👤 William Martin Schell
- 👤 Edward Stanley Szurkowski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 20:04
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/812; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/254; H04N21/2543; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/162; H04N7/165; H04N7/173
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
56 words
A method comprising the step of transmitting to a interactive services subscriber location a program and a set of advertisements wherein the set of advertisements is selected based upon an input from a user associated with the interactive services subscriber location, the input comprising an indicator of an amount of advertisements in the set of advertisements.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
80 words
A method comprising the step of transmitting a program to a plurality of interactive service subscriber locations wherein each interactive service subscriber location is associated with a user and a set of advertisements, wherein the set of advertisements is transmitted to the interactive service subscriber location along with the program, and wherein the set of advertisements is selected based upon an input from the user, the input comprising an indicator of an amount of advertisements in the set of advertisements.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
89 words
A method comprising the step of transmitting a plurality of programs to a plurality of interactive service subscriber locations wherein each interactive service subscriber location is associated with a program from the plurality of programs, a user and a set of advertisements, wherein the set of advertisements is transmitted to the interactive service subscriber location along with the program, and wherein the set of advertisements is selected based upon an input from the user, the input comprising an indicator of an amount of advertisements in the set of advertisements.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
65 words
A method comprising: (a) prompting a user at an interactive service subscriber location to enter a desired level of commercial activity; (b) receiving a response from the user; (c) based upon the response, selecting a set of commercials; and (d) sending a show to the interactive service subscriber location, the show comprising a set of signals representing a requested show and the set of commercials.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
96 words
A method comprising: (a) prompting a user at an interactive service subscriber location to enter a desired level of commercial activity; (b) waiting a predetermined amount of time for a response from the user; and (c) after the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, assigning a default entry to the desired level of commercial activity; (d) based upon the desired level of commercial activity, selecting a set of commercials; and (e) sending a show to the interactive service subscriber location, the show comprising a set of signals representing a requested show and the set of commercials.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
74 words
A method comprising: (a) searching a memory unit for a desired level of commercial activity, the desired level of commercial activity having been defined by a user of an interactive service subscriber location; (b) based upon the desired level of commercial activity, selecting a set of commercials; and (c) sending a show to the interactive service subscriber location, the show comprising a set of signals representing a requested show and the set of commercials.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
74 words
A method comprising: (a) identifying a set of shows transmitted on behalf of a subscriber to interactive television services during a billing period, each show in the set of shows comprising a requested show and a desired level of commercial activity, both the requested show and the desired level of commercial activity being selectable by a user of an account of the subscriber; and (b) charging the account based upon the set of shows.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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